


Through my eyes

by TheBiPenguin



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: De-Aged Derek, M/M, Spark Stiles Stilinski
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-29
Updated: 2016-07-31
Packaged: 2018-07-27 13:52:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7620862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBiPenguin/pseuds/TheBiPenguin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stiles finally got control of his magic and became Derek's alpha mate and second in command. After rebuilding the Hale house, they moved their new pack in and have been without incident for a few months now. Most supernatural events these days are more inconveniences than serious threats...much like this one.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Stranger danger?

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, this is my first fic. I just wanted to see what my writing style was like and whether I liked it or not. Nothing heavy.
> 
> Any feedback welcome :) Hope you like it.

Everything was white...like, whiter than white. The first thing Derek became aware of as the light died down was that he was outside. He could smell pine...why was he lying on the ground in the preserve? The second thing he became aware of was that a young woman he didn't recognize was kneeling over him, her blonde locks hanging down and tickling his face. Had the situation been less strange, Derek would've been distracted by her low cut top and attractive features, which were currently furrowed in concern. As it was, she pulled him up into a sitting position with a surprising amount of strength before he had a chance to be distracted. 

"Are you alright boss?"

"Erm..." Derek's head felt thick, like he'd not drunk in a month. Did she just call him boss?

"Does he look alright to you, babe?" Over the blonde woman's shoulder Derek saw a tall man with dark hair and skin jogging up to them, he was of athletic build. So much so that it vaguely occurred to him just how fast this woman must be to have reached him first. If he was honest she was a little intimidating. 

"Well, jeez Boyd. Thanks for pointing out the obvious." She rolled her eyes and hauled Derek to his feet by his bicep, claws digging into his arm. Claws? So she was another wolf? The other man seemed even taller now that Derek could see just how much shorter he was, but, oddly he didn't feel threatened. It was like somehow he knew them, he just couldn't place where from. After a decidedly awkward length of time spent watching the two not-strangers scowl at each other, Derek cleared his throat.

"Who, er...who are you guys?"

That definitely got their attention. The scary woman spun her head back to him with such force her hair whipped the surprised look right off the other man's face. 

"I know that I know you." Derek was babbling now, feeling their concern through their pack bonds. Wait, what? They're pack. How could Derek not know his own pack...and she called him boss. But, that would make him the Alpha. He's not even old enough to be the Alpha of his own pack yet. He's just the Alpha pup of his Mum's pack. But then why couldn't he feel his bond to her? None of it made any sense, but, luckily he wasn't given time to dwell on it for long. 

"Derek." the man, whose name was apparently Boyd, held his gaze, suddenly serious. "What do you remember from the last twenty-four hours or so?" 

Derek looked up at the sky, it was getting light. Dawn was just breaking through the trees. He tried to put the baffling present moment to one side and dig back to what happened before he ended up on the forest floor. He must have been frowning, because the scary woman put her hand on his shoulder, more gently this time. "It's okay." She smiled, not very convincingly "You can trust us. We just think that you might not be totally well right now that's all. What do you remember?"

"I was...walking back from school." Derek found a tiny thread of memory and tried to mentally seize hold of it "Yeah. Laura's car's in the shop so I was walking back...but it's dawn now. I don't remember getting home from school." He looked around "And I don't have my bag." 

"School?" Boyd folded his arms across his broad chest and huffed out a sigh. "Oh boy."

"And nothing after that?" The woman pressed "Nothing at all?" Derek shook his head.

"Shit." She looked to her partner, who shrugged unhelpfully. "You're explaining this when we get back." Her tone made it clear that this was not a point for negotiation. "This was your stupid idea." 

"It was his idea." Boyd countered calmly "But I suppose he's not in any real state to explain it, is he?" 

"Now whose stating the obvious!" Derek's outburst took them all by surprise. He felt suddenly very conscious that something was wrong with him, despite feeling fine. The woman let her hand fall from his shoulder and took a step back towards Boyd and away from Derek. 

"Sorry, Boss." they chirped. There was a pause where the only noise Derek could here was the rushing of his own half-panicked breathing before Boyd braved a step towards him and clapped him on the back.

"Let's take you home, mate. We can figure out the rest there. Sound okay?" Derek nodded numbly and let himself be lead off through the preserve in the direction he recognized as towards home. 

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

When the Hale house loomed into view, Derek felt the knot in his stomach loosen a little. Everything in the preserve smelled funny. He couldn't smell Laura, or his mum, or dad, or Cora. It was like none of them had been out running here for...well, far too long. And he could smell other wolves. More scents which he thought he should know but just...didn't. The only information he'd gained over the twenty minute walk was that the woman's name was Erica and that his clothes were at least a size too big. That bothered him too. There was no way he'd gone to school in these clothes, it was another thing he didn't recognize. 

Even the house was odd. Usually it smelled of old wood and dust, it's age becoming evident as the years wore on. This house looked freshly painted. The roof tiles were without chips and there were two cars parked out front. Laura's Camero was familiar. Parked next to it was a large Jeep he didn't recognize. As they approached the front steps of the porch, Derek heard voices inside. There was a great deal of rushing about, he thought he could hear high heels tapping against the hardwood floors. He couldn't envision either of his sisters wearing heels. There was one voice rising above the others. A voice that made Derek's skin tingle, but with what he couldn't say. Not recognizing that voice felt bad, worse than not recognizing his two pack mates. 

"Time to face the music babe." Boyd smirked, pushing Erica in front towards the door. She growled at him but complied. "Good luck, mate." He added, guiding Derek after her, not very gently. Derek's legs had turned to lead. He moved stiffly up the steps, anticipating his mother despite there being no sign of her. 

"Thanks." He murmured 


	2. The universe and you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Teenage Derek meets his future pack. He also meets his alpha-mate for the first time, again, this time from a whole new perspective.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Universe and you" is a KT Tunstall song (She rocks). Hope you enjoy this one. 
> 
> All constructive feedback appreciated guys :)

Erica let out a long suffering sigh and pushed open the front door to the Hale house. The voices and scents hit Derek like a wall. There were so many his already overwhelmed mind couldn't separate them. He halted abruptly in the doorway only to be propelled forward again as Boyd's heavy frame collided with his back, forcing him into the hallway, where he was confronted with the owner of the heels he'd heard from outside in the form of another young woman of similar age to Erica. Her long, fiery red hair and fair skin gave her a regal appearance even as she stuffed notepads and pens into an expensive looking handbag.

"Issac!" She yelled, loud enough that Derek wondered if, whoever Issac was, was he even inside the house, inside the preserve even. "Jackson's already gone. Grab Ali and let's go!"

The click of the door closing was barely audible compared to this woman's bluster, yet it seemed to bring her to a complete halt. She stood for a moment with sharp analytical eyes on Erica before she spoke, quieter but no gentler than before. "God, you look like shit." Her smug grin faltered after a moment when Erica failed to respond. Eventually her eyes fell on Derek and went suddenly wide. Before she could comment further they were interrupted again as a dark haired girl in jeans and boots with a leather satchel over her shoulder came bowling out of the lounge into the hall, dragging a tall, scruffy, blond boy, who was presumably Isaac, behind her. Abruptly they collided with the back of scary-woman number two and for a moment the two trios just stared at each other.

Eventually the tall boy broke the silence "What the fuck happened to you?" Derek suddenly felt all eyes fall on him. His heart rate sky-rocketed in the face of these three wolves, all looking at him as though he just sprouted antlers or something.

"I...Er...I dunno." He shrugged helplessly "Amnesia I think." Issac didn't seem convinced. The scary red-head arched one of her perfectly plucked eyebrows at him suspiciously.

"Amnesia didn't do that to your face Der." She pointed out flatly

"Or the rest of you." The other girl added

"We may have run into some trouble last night." Erica began to explain. Scratching back of her neck awkwardly. She looked to Boyd for support but he remained stoic so she struggled on "We might might have erm..."

"What. Happened?!"

A new voice cut through the house's new found quiet, but to Derek's ears it seemed to cut through the whole world. If you asked him he would've sworn his heart stopped dead for a second. The opposing trio jumped apart and spun to face this latest addition to Derek's confusion. A pale, slim man in his mid-twenties came stomping down the large staircase opposite the front door and overtook the trio to face them. Fierce amber eyes met Derek's as the man seized his chin in one hand and looked straight into his soul, their faces inches apart. Derek felt like he'd been dragged out of the earth's atmosphere and was looking out into the vastness of the universe in that moment and that the universe was looking back into him. His breath turned to stone in his chest. Luckily he was released before he could faint or suffocate as the man turned to look at Erica and Boyd in turn.

"The fairies didn't wanna talk." Boyd began "Derek did. They ran. He gave chase. We tried to stop him-"

"I tried to stop him." Erica corrected, earning her a deep growl from Boyd

"Anyway." He continued "The clan chief was less than thrilled and did this." He gestured up and down at Derek's comparatively small frame.

Amber-eyes took a small step back, racing thoughts dancing across his handsome features as he looked from Derek to Boyd to Erica and back to Boyd again. No one spoke as they waited for his analysis.

"Lydia's right. You two look like shit." He concluded. The red-head hummed her agreement but he ignored her "Shower and go to bed." Like two dismissed school children the two wolves nodded and made their way up the stairs without comment, leaving Derek alone facing the rest of the pack. There was another pause where the slim man seemed again to be thinking intensely. His stare was making Derek squirm. Even more infuriatingly he then turned his back on Derek to face his pack mates.

"Have you guys got anything on at college today you can't get out of?" he asked. Issac shook his head

"Me and Lydia have a presentation in an hour" The girl with the satchel pleaded, scraping the heels of her boots on the floorboards in agitation.

"Lydia and I." Lydia corrected

"Not helping." The slim man drew in a breath before seeming to decide "Okay, Issac call in sick. Lyds, you and Ali take the Camero since Derek's clearly not going to be using it. The keys are on the hook." The two girls snatched up the keys and scrambled for the door, bags in hand, before he'd finished. "Whichever one of you isn't driving, text Jackson and Scott on the way and let them know Derek got himself De-aged!"

The door slammed behind them and Derek was left facing the two men alone. Slowly the amber eyes turned back to him. Before he could seize up under their scrutiny again, Derek huffed out his frustration "Hey!" He yelled, the warmth of satisfaction spreading through him as Issac jumped a little at the noise "I might be under the influence of some fairy spell right now but I am still the Alpha of this pack, no?!" He looked between the two men's faces "And I demand to know what's going on!"

Far from looking concerned, the slim man looked positively amused. Deliberately, he straightened himself to his full height and crossed his arms. He wasn't even near Boyd's height but he was a full half a head taller than Derek. Right then that felt like a mile, the authority in his gaze amplifying his presence despite his lack of physical athleticism.

"Actually, babe." He smirked "You're only an Alpha-pup right now. And I'm the Alpha-mate. So, in the absence of our Alpha, I'm in charge here."

Derek was sure those last words were meant to be the ones he paid attention to, but his brain had ground to a halt after taking in the words Alpha-mate. This was the Alpha-mate of the pack. His pack. The pack of which he was the Alpha. And that made this man his mate! His mate! Derek wasn't old enough to have a mate and even if he was, this man was...he was...Well he was a guy, for one, but that didn't really matter to Derek, especially now. That little revelation was the least of his worries. This man was stunning, his skin was flawless, like fresh snow and dotted with a constellation of moles. His frame was slim, but he wasn't skinny. Now that he looked more closely, Derek saw lean muscles hiding undermeath his baggy T-shirt. Most strikingly of all were the man's eyes, they bellied a calculating, almost cold, intelligence and a cast-iron determination. He was pure Alpha-mate material. Derek had witnessed how their betas had obeyed him without question or hesitation. He was both perfect and terrifying. Derek was vaguely aware that his mouth was hanging open as he tried to comprehend how on earth he'd been able to claim such a mate. The man in question, by contrast, seemed both unaffected by and oblivious to Derek's awe.

"But," his voice softened, a touch of anxiety creeping into his tone. "You have every right to be upset, my wolf. I'm sure you're very confused and hormonal right now, albeit your own doing." For the second time, he turned away from Derek's dumbfounded expression, leaving him feeling starved for his eye contact. "Isaac. Could you take our glorious leader into the kitchen, feed him and find him some clothes that fit. Take something from Scott and Alison's room. I think they're about the same size now." He and Isaac laughed as he vanished into the lounge, calling over his shoulder "I'm going to call Deaton and get this mess undone."

"Dr Deaton? The Vet?" Derek frowned

"Wow. That guy really has been around forever if you still remember him." Isaac laughed and threw an arm around Derek's tense shoulders. "Come on. We've got to feed our growing pup. Boss's orders."

Derek gave a growl which squeaked as his voice broke half way through, earning him another bark of laughter from his new babysitter as he was lead down the hall and into the kitchen.


	3. Reversal of roles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Deaton "Helps". Stiles is in charge, much to Jackson's delight. 
> 
> Derek goes all teenager and Stiles needs to call for back-up to help deal with it. The Sheriff thinks it's hilarious.

"Stiles?! What sort of a name is Stiles?!" Derek continued to ramble at Isaac over his untouched cup of coffee. Isaac had assured him that this was how he drank it, but despite adding two more sugars Derek still couldn't swallow it.

"Ha! It's a nickname." Isaac took a noisy slurp from his own mug "And it's a hell of a lot better than his actual name. Believe me! Besides," He smirked knowingly "I wouldn't worry. You don't use it much."

"Then what do I call him?" 

"My moon." Isaac cooed melodramatically, puckering his lips into a tight "O" in emphasis. Derek felt a deep blush rise over his neck and the tips of his ears burned. He tried to hide by taking another bitter sip of coffee, which made him wince. The clothes he'd been given smelled of the other girl, Allison, and her mate, who was apparently called Scott. The scents were familiar and non-threatening even if he couldn't remember anything about their owners.

"So, how did we all meet?" Derek hastened to change the subject. "I mean. None of us are related, are we?"

"No." Issac smiled kindly "It's kind of a long story. Scott got bitten first. Then Lydia and Jackson. You bit me, Erica and Boyd. Scott gave Allison the bite when they realized they were like...a forever thing." He shrugged, obviously baffled.

"And Stiles?" Derek said softly.

"He came last." Isaac drew in a long breath and sighed it out, buying time. "It's a slightly longer story."

"I feel like we've got time." Derek pressed. Isaac clearly did not want to tell this story, but Stiles was beyond extraordinary and Derek wanted to know how they'd come to be mates.

"Well..." Isaac huffed, lifting himself up to sit on the kitchen counter "Stiles was Scott's best friend when he got bitten. He helped him through it, with Allison. Then had to repeat the process with Lydia and Jackson when they were turned." Isaac looked out of the window into the preserve, his youthful features furrowed in what was clearly a less than easy memory. "You, Erica, Boyd and I formed our own pack. You wanted a merger with Scott's pack, but they were having none of it."

"Why?" Derek's interruption seemed to pull Isaac out of some kind of trance. It was the first eye contact they'd had since the distinctly awkward subject arose.

"Only Scott was willing to trust you." he answered bluntly, his face impassive. "Obviously your original pack understood. Stiles railed against it hardest, but Lydia and Allison weren't keen either and Jackson's always done his own thing" Isaac smiled weakly "But, they came around. We had...common enemies."

Derek's eyebrows must have nearly reached his hairline because Isaac nearly lifted off the counter as he threw his hands up in a placating gesture. "All dead or sent running for the hills now, don't worry. There's barely been any trouble since you and Stiles took over. No one wants to go up against you two."

Derek wasn't particularly reassured by this but Isaac plowed ahead before he could question further

"Then there was...er...an incident...in Mexico." he was beginning to look seriously uncomfortable now.

"You took some time away from us to figure things out. It was for the best. You needed it. But apparently you and Stiles had kind of been having a thing and we thought you were dead at the time, so when you came back to reunite us as a proper pack, Stiles was..."

Isaac seemed to be struggling for words, his mouth opening and closing silently like a Guppy. After what felt like an eternity he seemed to get his tongue under control again.

"He was mistrusting. It took time. You coming back telling him that he was your mate and you were destined to spend your lives together, despite him not having been bitten yet, didn't really help. His magic kind of went into overdrive for a while but it all worked out okay. Better than okay." He smiled again, more genuinely this time. "Really, Der. It all worked out alright in the end."

Derek frowned. None of it made sense. Why would he abandon his own pack? Did his parents or sisters live in Mexico now? It seemed unlikely. And why wouldn't his mother help her Alpha-pup set up his own pack better than he clearly had? Why hadn't he simply succeeded her as Alpha of the original Hale pack? His ears rang as a million and one questioned whizzed about inside his skull.

"I still don't understand." He confessed "How did it all happen?" he threw his arms up and gestured at the house around them "At the moment I'm living at home with my family. I thought I was going to be Alpha of our pack. You know, go to college, get a decent job. Mum would show me the ropes before retiring to become pack-elder. How did it all end up so...different?"

This time Isaac squirmed as though he'd been electrocuted. "No Der. You need to ask Stiles about that one, kiddo."

"No." Derek stood up from the table and walked around to face Isaac's fair features close up. "I'm asking you."

Isaac mouthed like a fish out of water again for even longer than before before conceding. Then he started another story. It was a story which made Derek's stomach roll, One which made him sorry he'd asked, sorry he'd ever grown up. Sorry for everything.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"What do you mean he left?!" Stiles' voice boomed through the kitchen, shaking the panicking Isaac's voice to a barely controlled whimper.

"He just ran off!" 

Stiles began pacing the kitchen "Why the hell would he do that?!"

"He was asking about...his family." 

Stiles groaned loudly, pulling at his own hair "I knew I should've tackled that first. Why didn't you stop him?!" 

"I couldn't keep up!" Isaac squeaked "He's still an Alpha, even if he is a pup."

Lydia crossed the room and put a steadying hand on his shoulder "Which way did he go?"

"Towards town."

"Shit!" Stiles swore loudly and picked up speed.

"What?" Scott scraped his dark locks out of his tired, puppy brown eyes. "That's the centre of our territory. At least he's not heading out towards the borders with the Winchester pack."

"Which he easily could've." Allison chimed in

"Yeah." Scott continued "Why's this so bad. He is a teenager after all. Remember what you were like?"

Stiles came to a sharp halt in front of them, the panic clear in his voice. "Scottie! That's where all the people are! You think they're all humans down there? One supernatural douche-bag recognizes him and blabs about it and we're gonna have every opportunistic demon, wolf, vampire and bloody avenging-angel, knowing our luck, from here to New York come rolling into town. What do I keep telling you?!"

"The easiest way to kill a pack is the kill their Alpha." They chorused.

"We'll go and get him." Isaac stood to leave but Stiles put a gentle hand on his chest, stopping him.

"If we go out in force, people will know something wrong." He though for a second "I'll call dad. He can pick him up." 

"Will he be able to bring him back, do you think?" Lydia passed him the phone

"Thanks. And yeah. If he could handle me as a teenager, he can handle anything."

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Derek ran.

He ran and he ran and he ran.

His heart was pounding so hard he thought it was going to break his ribs. His eyes burned so hot he couldn't see and he had to stop. His legs gave way and he landed on his palms by the side of the road, the gravel scraping harshly against his skin.

He didn't know which road he was on. He didn't know anything. Only that he was alone. So alone. His mother was gone, his father was gone, his sisters, his uncle...everyone.

And it was all his fault. It was his mistake that had killed them.

He didn't deserve to be Alpha.

He didn't deserve Stiles.

He didn't deserve any of it.

Eventually his breathing slowed. His vision cleared, but still he didn't move. He knelt there on the ground in the midday heat, sweating profusely for an amount of time he didn't care to guess at. At some point he heard the growling of a car engine approach. He looked up as it turned to corner to see it was a police cruiser. It parked barley twenty feet in front of him and he engine shut off. Still Derek didn't move. The driver side door opened and a large man in uniform started towards him. It was the first face Derek had recognized since this whole nightmare began. Although it had aged considerably since Derek last saw it, less than a week ago according to his memory.

"Sheriff Stilinski?" he murmured as the older man knelt opposite him on the side of the road.

"Derek." he greeted. "What you doing out here, kiddo?" Derek didn't answer, he didn't know. He'd just had to get away from it. "Stiles rang me. Wants me to bring you home." He sighed "You didn't know what to do with him when he was the teenager and you were the adult and now he hasn't got a clue either." He chuckled, but there was a sadness to it. "Dad to the rescue again, I suppose."

"Why,,," Derek struggled "Why did he call you?"

The sheriff smiled "Well you are my son-in-law Derek. I do care about you. We all do."

"You're Stiles' Dad?" Derek frowned. He wasn't able to take in any more information right now. He'd never met the Sheriff's son that he remembered. He'd was just a kid.

"We can talk through everything in the car, kid." The Sheriff put one hand on Derek's shoulder and squeezed, the strength transmitted in that grip pouring a new sense of control into Derek's body. "I won't take you home 'til your ready. Let's just get out of the road before someone sees, eh?"

"Okay." Derek complied numbly.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Derek wasn't back in the Hale house until after dinner. He and the Sheriff had got a burger in town and talked everything over at length, eventually the Sheriff convinced him that what Kate had done wasn't Derek's fault, not that it made it any less awful. Stiles was apparently alright with them staying out in town so long as they kept a low profile. When he got back Stiles didn't greet him, just thanked his dad and went back up to his office, because apparently they both had offices in the future.

So Derek was sat on the sofa in a ring of chairs and beanbags in their lounge listening to the rest of the pack talking about their day. Lydia and Allison's presentation had been a roaring success, they got full marks. Jackson bitched about work, which was apparently normal. Scott was over the moon about having been able to help in a surgery at the Vet's clinic he worked in which managed to save the life of a poodle and her puppies, which was a little lost on everyone except Allison. Isaac had kept quiet about his chat with Derek and was instead talking about some TV show Derek had never heard of when Stiles interrupted.

"Right." He leaned on the back of the sofa, between Derek and Lydia, calling the pack to attention "So, Deaton reckons that the Fairy Chief was annoyed that we wanted to pester them while they were innocently passing through our territory. De-ageing spells don't usually last long apparently and should wear off before long. It's just a deterrent to buy them enough time to get back out of our territory and on to wherever they're going without us bothering them."

"Told you it was a bad idea." Lydia rolled her eyes as Jackson, who glowered back at her.

"And so did I." Stiles added. "Not that it matters now. I tried to look for a way to safely reverse it but according to Deaton there isn't one. Every reversal spell risks ageing him differently or not enough or too much yada, yada, yada." He shrugged "So, we're just gonna have to ride it out."

The pack collectively groaned. Derek wasn't sure why until Stiles started speaking again. "Cancel all plans. No one goes anywhere except for work and college things we can't wriggle out of."

"But we've got tickets to a gig on Saturday." Scott whined.

"Well either sell 'em off pal, or hope it's worn off by then. We're going into lock-down." Stiles plowed ahead "Which brings me to this." He plonked a sheet of scrap paper into Lydia's lap. "Babysitting duty. Two wolves protecting Derek at all times, I've drawn up a rota."

"Babysitting duty!" Now it was Derek's turn to whine "I'm not a kid!"

"No." Stiles turned to him for the first time in the evening "You're not. But you still went AWOL today. The easiest way to kill a pack is to kill its Alpha. You're a pup, You're vulnerable and you're staying here. No leaving the preserve. No leaving the house without the two people in charge of you!" Derek was so appalled his whole body seized up too hard to argue back.

"Any questions?" Stiles snatched his gaze away yet again. The pack all shook their heads obediently and with that Stiles was gone again "I've re-done the wards around the house just to be safe. I'm in my office if you need me."

There was a moment of silence before anyone spoke. "Gotta love it when Stilinski's in charge." Jackson smirked, which made Derek growl defensively.

"He is right, you know." Allison countered.

"We know." Lydia agreed "Doesn't stop it from sucking though."

"No." Scott agreed forlornly, pulling Allison into his lap, clearly grieving in anticipation of their lost night out together "Drawback of being Alpha-mate I suppose."

That made Derek stop short. He was still mentally bitching about his own confinement up until this point. He hadn't really thought about what it was like for Stiles. He'd been too caught up in all the nasty shit he'd apparently have to go through, or had been through, he didn't even know anymore. He hadn't considered what life must look like from Stiles' perspective. To hold his nerve and take the reins of their sizable pack, whose territory was apparently surrounded on all sides by potential rivals, when Derek had showed up, de-aged and clueless was more of a feat than Derek had really appreciated.

He felt like a jerk for that.

"I'm going to bed." He declared and hauled himself off the sofa and up the stairs, the rest of the pack presuming he was still sulking about his curfew.


	4. Though my eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek and Stiles work things out. Derek starts to believe that the future might not be all bad after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beware the feels. They caught me unawares. 
> 
> Kind of fluffy towards the end. Sorry about that.

Derek laid awake for hours. 

He cried for his parents. He cried for his sisters. He cried for everything he'd hoped for that apparently would never be. 

Once he had cried all his tears he laid there in silence, just staring at the ceiling. It was terrible.

It was all terrible and worst of all was that everything around him smelled of Stiles, of them. It was their bedroom after all, their bed he was not-sleeping in. 

It was torture. 

Derek's new pack were great, better than great, but, Stiles was the only thing in Derek's future he'd found which made the loss of his past seem worth bearing. He was the brilliant light at the end of a longer, darker tunnel than Derek could've ever foreseen and yet had somehow apparently already traveled through. 

Having that light sitting in an office at the end of the hall, which right now felt as if it may as well be a hundred miles long. while he lay awake in the dark, was miserable. He resolved that he would not sleep. He wanted to speak to Stiles, to hear his voice and find comfort in his strength. Stiles' was still human, after all. He had to come to bed sometime. 

Derek waited. He waited and he waited and he waited. The bedside clock read 02.00 when Derek eventually caved to his irritation. Throwing on underwear and a pair of lounge pants he strode down to the corridor to the door to Stiles' office which as much authority in his step as he could muster and wrapped his knuckles against the wood with an unnecessary amount of noise before barging in. 

Stiles was sat at an oaken desk, his pale skin illuminated by his laptop screen. He was shirtless, the long-cast shadows emphasizing his lean muscles. He had changed into a pair of matching lounge pants to Derek's, apart from that his fit him properly. He looked up absentmindedly, almost lazily, a slow smirk growing in the corner of his lips. 

"My wolf." he greeted, before going back to scribbling on one of the numerous sheets of scrap paper strewn across the surface in front of him. Derek saw charts and graphs and page after page of notes. Most prominent was a large map. Derek recognized it as Beacon hills, as well as the surrounding area. Post-it notes in Stiles' characteristic scrawl were stuck at various points all over it. 

Derek felt his irritation melt away as realization dawned on him. Stiles wasn't avoiding him, not hiding from having to deal their situation. Stiles' was awake at 2am working on maintaining their territory boundaries, identifying potential threats and working through a million-and-one other tasks Derek had seen his parents do and probably normally helped with, which Stiles was having to handle all by himself. 

"My moon." he murmured, suddenly deflated. He leaned against the door frame, trying to look as casual as he could while secretly hoping that the limited musculature puberty had given him so far would be enough to catch Stiles' eye. "Are you coming to bed?" 

Stiles' pen came to an abrupt halt, his head snapping up "Am I what-now, Der?" 

Derek faltered, thrown by the incredulity in Stiles' voice. "It's two in the morning." He explained patiently.

"Yes." Stiles folded his laptop down and leaned back in his chair, reaching towards the ceiling to stretch his long limbs before continuing "And you ought to be in bed." 

"So should you." Derek didn't miss a beat. "When are you planning on joining me?" 

Derek faltered again as Stiles huffed out a short laugh. He cocked one eyebrow, questioning the Derek's seriousness. "When I'm done here, I'm sleeping on the sofa-bed, Der." 

Derek straightened up and frowned, his folded arms falling to his sides. "But...we're mates!" 

Stiles smiled warmly, leaning forward onto his elbows "Yes. Yes, we are."

"So..." Derek sauntered over the desk, leaning down on his own elbows so his face was level with Stiles, craving his eye contact. "We must sleep together. Our bed smells pretty strongly of...us!" He emphasized the "Us" with a suggestive bob of his eyebrows. 

A coy smirk played across his mates face "Again, yes. Yes, we do. How old are you right now Der?" 

"Eighteen...in a few months." Derek conceded 

"So seventeen then?" Stiles bit the corner of his lip between his teeth, suppressing a triumphant grin. 

"But...We're mates!" Derek repeated, desperation seeping into his voice. 

Stiles laughed out loud this time and shook his head, throwing his fluffy brown hair from side to side. "Seeing it through my eyes now, are we? Seventeen, horny as hell with a drop-dead gorgeous mate who refuses to touch you. Tough, isn't it. Welcome to the first year of our relationship, Der-bear." he cooed mockingly. 

"While your swamped down with all the responsibilities of the pack, without pack-elders or an alpha-mate whose old enough to help." Derek supplied. 

"Exactly." Stiles' rubbed his eyes with the heels of his palms, distracting Derek as his long fingers stretched in front of their faces. "Doing it between us is one thing. On your own, I've no idea how you kept up with it for so long. No wonder you were such a sour-wolf." He rested his hands back on the desk between them "We ought to figure out where that Fairy clan went, so we can send them a thank you hamper for this...delightful insight." 

"Good idea." Derek rested one of his hands on top of Stiles', caressing the smooth skin. 

"Still not happening, Der." Stiles pulled away and Derek whined. "Back to bed." Stiles slung one long arm around Derek's shoulders and before he could argue he was being chaperoned back down the hall. He seized the opportunity and grabbed Stiles' hand, lacing their fingers together and rolling his head into their hold to drink in their scent. Stiles obliged by lifting his chin in submission, allowing Derek to press his hungry lips to the small, purpled mate-mark overlying Stiles' pulse as they walked. 

Only an instant later, he was being shoved sideways and falling onto their mattress. Stiles moved to leave but Derek still had a firm grip on his hand, which he wasn't about to surrender. "Stay." He whispered. "Please."

Stiles sighed "Derek. I'm not gonna-"

"Nothing sexual." Derek saw suspicion in the furrows of his mates brows "I just..." His mind was already wandering back to the dark thoughts of his past. "I really don't wanna be alone tonight." 

Stiles didn't reply immediately. In the silence, Derek's wet eyes lifted to meet his and he looked into the open, vulnerable face of his wolf, the man underneath the hard exterior whom he'd eventually found and fallen in love with. 

"Okay." He murmured, closing the door with a snap of his long fingers and sinking down onto the bed besides Derek. He wrapped the pup up in his arms and in that moment, Derek thought that the warmth of their bare torsos as their scents merged and their heartbeats slowed into one steady rhythm was the best thing he'd ever experienced, ever could experience. 

"I love you, my wolf." Stiles kissed the top of Derek's head and squeezed him tighter.

"I love you too, my moon." Derek mumbled sleepily into Stiles' shoulder. 

He was asleep in seconds.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Derek awoke as soon as dawn broke. He huffed out a deep, sleepy growl and looked down at the grinning young man laying across his broad chest, whom Derek could feel stroking his cotton clad thighs beneath the sheets. 

"Nice to have you back, Alpha-Hale." Stiles wiggled his eyebrows and kissed Derek's abs, just below his naval. 

Derek growled again, possessively, running his fingers down the back of Stiles' neck. "It's nice have you back too, my mate." Derek answered, his heartbeat steady. There was no uncertainty in his voice. He'd lost his whole world along the way, but now the universe laid in his arms. 

Derek could live with that. He could live happily ever after with that.

Which he did.


End file.
